game 7

Not to be melodramatic about it, but...

1946 to 1967 to 1972 to 1975 to 1978 to 1986 to 2003. As it was in the
beginning, is now, and I fear ever shall be, the Red Sox have once again
come up short. Last night's game was the most painful Red Sox game in
my lifetime. Pedro's machismo and Grady's good nature will go down in
Red Sox lore just as have Galehouse and Pesky and Dent and Buckner. But
let's face it, this is what being a Red Sox fan is all about.

To use a famous Smith family metaphor, it's not unlike getting your
first washing machine. Once you have it, you can't go back. It's the
chase we crave, not the title. Our chant in Milton is "Get Us to Labor
Day!", not "See You in October." This, my friends, is what holds Red
Sox Nation together. When they win, we will be just like any other fans
in America who get to enjoy a win every now and then. Until then, it
will be "Wait 'Till Next Year."

For many of us, our introduction to this phenomenon began in 1975. I
turned 14 that October. I well remember attending with by brother game
1 against Oakland in the ALCS that year. We sat in the center field
bleachers by ourselves. I remember the next weekend camping in the rain
with the Sox/Reds on the radio (a Tiant win), Ed Armbrister, Bernie
Carbo's homeruns, jumping up and down with my father and brother with
Fisk hit his shot, and, of course, a disappointing game 7 loss. For
Danny, Matt and B (at least), 2003 is 1975.

We all gathered around the television. Joe and Jerry were on the radio.
No snacks -- too big a game to eat. Danny kept score. Matt and I
shared a score sheet, and B kept track of hits, runs and errors by
inning. We had Tony and Mike in row 12 at The Stadium on the cell
phone. Gradually, Patti, Matt and B went upstairs, leaving Danny and
me alone downstairs. At 11:05 pm, it was there for the taking. But it
was, of course, not to be. At 12:22 this morning, after Boone's blast
in the 11th and after we both had filled in the "HR" box on our
scoresheets, I turned to Danny and said "So now you know what it is like
to be a Red Sox fan."

And so it is.